Not So Clueless:Holding onto Innocence
by titangirl161
Summary: Yamamoto seems to have no idea what he's been getting himself into, but does he really know the game he plays with his friends isn't a game? Dino doesn't know but he's gonna find out


Hello everyone! I'm here to write a Reborn! story for the first time ever! Yay! Before I start, I want to say at first I didn't like Yamamoto all that much, but he kind of grew on me as time went on. He is now one of my favorites, and this story is about him. NOTE: This takes place after chapter 61 of the manga (which never appeared in the anime) but for those of you who never read it, to fill you in, Yamamoto went on a trip to Italy with Dino. That's all you need to know. My puppy-muse Scribble will do the disclaimer and we'll begin!

Scribble: We do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! And, like all the other animes we love, we never will own it. It's a sad life.

Let's give a hand to What2callmyself? for her beta!

Not So Clueless: Holding on to Innocence

Dino was glad to be taking a trip back to Italy with Yamamoto, but there was one small problem.

It really wasn't something he could blame on Yamamoto. Truthfully, he liked him better than Gokudera, and he always had such a nice smile to greet everyone with. He was just an all around good guy and it was hard to dislike him.

But Yamamoto was utterly clueless. He seemed to have no idea that this 'Mafia-game' he was playing was no game at all. In fact, despite how much the others made it obvious, he still had no clue. He was in a whole different world and he didn't even know it.

Dino knew it wasn't his place to tell him what was really going on; that was Tsuna's job. But at the same time, he was curious. Tsuna had always known and treated it like it was real, regardless of who was with him at the time, so why didn't Yamamoto see how serious it was? Didn't Yamamoto have even an inkling of what he had gotten himself into?

He decided he would get out of Yamamoto just how much the teen really knew. The two of them were now at Dino's house, and they were having spaghetti for dinner (A/N: Yum, a traditional Italian dish, ha ha). They talked about nothing in particular at first- just normal boring stuff, about where Dino had gone to school, how he met the "little guy" as Yamamoto called Reborn (Dino left out some Mafia details, he needed to wait, it was all in due time), baseball (Yamamoto's favorite subject) and other inconsequential things. Then, as dinner was finishing, Dino knew it was finally the time to bring it up. "Out of curiosity, I'm wondering, were you nervous about coming here?"

Yamamoto looked at him. "No, not really. Why would you think I was?"

Dino shrugged. "Well, it's just you know what they say about Italy, having the Mafia and everything."

Yamamoto looked up from his spaghetti with a vague bit of surprise this time. "The Mafia? You mean like organized crime?"

"Well, that's one way to put it. But I guess you weren't really worried." He saw Yamamoto shake his head and smiled. "I thought so. You seem to know some about it. Have any opinions on it?"

Yamamoto looked down a minute. "Well, I really don't know that much. I just know that it's organized crime, and so I'm guessing it's pretty bad stuff. I mean, I guess it sounds glamorous and TV makes it look cool, but I don't think I'd like doing things like that. I can't really see myself doing illegal stuff either."

Dino stared a second and was about to face palm himself when Yamamoto continued. "But…the mafia game, the one I play with Tsuna and Gokudera…it's actually a lot of fun. It's like a totally different mafia from the one I've heard about. They have all these crazy games and stuff…it's none of the bad stuff at all. Maybe that's why I like it so much." Dino's eyes widened and Yamamoto smiled, reminiscing happily. "We always have so much fun together when we play that game. And I'm happy that Tsuna is the boss. I think if he really was in the mafia, it would be different. The mafia wouldn't sound so scary; it would be a positive thing. And he would be the nicest, best mafia boss of all. It wouldn't be like organized crime, more like…organized vigilantes, people doing the right things, even if in the shadows and no one knows about it. And I'd be proud, honored even, to stand by his side, and help out as part of that family."

Dino smiled as he looked at Yamamoto and he knew right away that Tsuna was so lucky to have this boy in his family. He was truly impressed, but then Yamamoto ruined it by waving his hand, laughing and saying, "But I shouldn't get so excited about it, after all, it IS just a game."

Dino promptly face palmed.

"Eh? Are you alright Dino?" Yamamoto asked the boy with his head now in his hands.

"Just a slight headache, I'll be fine."

~Later On~

Yamamoto had just gone to bed and was sleeping peacefully, and Dino was about to retire as well when he ran into his own right hand man, Romario. "How did it go boss?" he asked Dino.

Dino sighed. "I thought for a second I was really getting somewhere with him, but I guess not."

Romario just smiled. "Don't worry about it boss, he's in good hands, and I'm sure he'll come to understand it in good time."

Dino smiled. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. But as for now, it's hopeless to think he'll understand any of it. Yamamoto is just too clueless. Anyway, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Romario."

"Good night boss!"

~Yamamoto's Room~

Yamamoto was having that dream again; the one he had a long time ago but kept having again and again recently.

The dream always went the same. It started off with him just hanging out with Tsuna and Gokudera and the others as always. Then they all changed. They were grown, strong, proud men in suits, and he realized that he was one too, one of them, just as he always had been. And Tsuna, the boss, looking much more confident, leading them all in to whatever awaited them, and Yamamoto had no doubts; he knew this was a fight to protect people, not hurt them, a fight for the world.

He woke up from the dream, and a small smile touched his face, something in him knowing that was more than just a dream.

Yamamoto might have seemed clueless, but he wasn't, not at all. After all, when you keep waving something in someone's face, they can only ignore it so long. And Yamamoto, bit by bit, was realizing more and more by the day that this was no game he was playing, this was a lot more than that.

But Yamamoto was no liar, either. He did love the game he played with Tsuna, the mafia seemed like a lot of fun to him. And it seemed the more he played the game, the stronger he became. He learned things from this crazy group he was in that he couldn't have ever learned anywhere else. Most importantly, he knew the Mafioso he knew were never the kind they showed on TV or you heard about. He knew they were good people, and they didn't really want to do any real harm.

Most of all, he knew Tsuna. He knew his friend wasn't bad and didn't want to do illegal things either. He had admired Tsuna ever since the day he saved him from jumping off the school building, and knew Tsuna really cared for people and had a good heart. And he meant what he told Dino. He was sure if Tsuna was a mafia boss, he would be the nicest and best one out there, and they would be helping out the people of the world instead of hurting them. And, he wanted to stand by his side, just as he did in that dream, to always support and defend his close friend, to be a true part of the Vongola Family. And he would never ever regret it.

Yamamoto was becoming more and more aware that this mafia thing was real, and that person in the dream- that older him that he saw was what he would really be someday.

But then again, that's a lot to put on a kid. And that's what Yamamoto was right now, trying to get through school and excited by the baseball tournament that would be in the spring. It wasn't that he was clueless, he wasn't so clueless at all, he was just holding onto his child like innocence, his obviousness in believing that it was all just a game.

He knew one day he would be that person he saw in his dreams, and he would be proud to be that person when that day came. He also knew the time was coming, quickly, when he could no longer pretend this was a game, when he would have to face the fact that the mafia they spoke of was real.

But not yet. For right now, all he wanted was to play the Mafia game with Tsuna and everyone else for just a little longer.

Scribble: Well, for a first try, not too bad.

Me: Yeah, it could've been better though, I think I got a little repetitive at the end. Oh well. Well, there's my first crack at Reborn! My next project will be a D. Gray Man story, and then back to YYH, then who knows? Whatever creative mood strikes! So tell me what you think! Worthless flames do nothing for me. Constructive criticism is much appreciated, and good reviews are always loved! Long Live the Vongola Family!

-titangirl161


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